Skywatcher Skytee 2 - First Impression

[russ]

I know a lot of people are waiting for my initial reaction to the brand new Skywatcher Skytee 2 AltAz mount. So here's a quick post as a teaser.

First Light Optics very kindly offered me the chance to review this brand new mount from Skywatcher and i have to say i was a little excited to be given the opportunity. I'm a huge fan of AltAz mounts.

So hot off the press, it was only delivered 1 hour ago, here's my first impression of the Skytee 2.

It arrived in a quite a compact little box but was pretty weighty. The packing was the usual arrangement of a good quality box and moulded foam inserts. The mount is very well protected in transit.

It's always a wondeful moment unpacking new equipment and this was no exception. Doesn't it look great sat there in the box.

With the Skytee 2 out of the box and in the hand, i had my first worry for the quality of the mount. I could barely move either axis....oh this isn't good! Checked the locks and they were all freed off. We have our first problem. Completely unlike the Orion VersoGo and TeleOptic Giro III, I can spin those around with a my little finger. All i could think off was the nasty lubricant Synta like to use, the one that resembles glue. More about that in a minute.

Lets get it mounted on a suitable tripod. And i just happen to have a HEQ5 tripod to hand. Great stuff, fits like a glove. And looks mighty impressive with it. Wow! Will try out the CG5 2" steel tripod later.

The Skytee 2 comes as standard with a counterweight bar. And there are two places that the bar can be screwed in. One here on the side:

And one here under the second saddle:

There is a nice metal plug to cover the spare mounting point.

The sadlles themselves are excellent, both dovetail types i tried fitted very snugly indeed. A single knob is used for securing a dovetail. The plate is sprung loaded so it moves evenly.

Loaded up with two scopes, a 90mm F11 refractor & 150mm f5 newtonian, and a 5kg counterweight, the Skytee is absolutely rock solid. Not had a chance to test it under dark skies of course but giving either scope a good knock produces no visible wobble. It reminds me of having the ED100 mounted on the EQ6....it feels that solid. Be interesting to see how it copes with a Meade LXD55 10" ota...that's to come.

Now back to the earlier issue of resistance in both axis. Well i'm happy to report that with the mount 'loaded up', it moves smoothly in both axis, without any stiction. Admittedly, not as smoothly or easily as the Orion VersaGo or Giro III but with just enough resistance for it to stop immediately when I stop pushing or pulling.

The slow motions have to be one of the ace cards. They are both very smooth and i'm sure will prove a great boon for high power work.......look forward to testing that out. I was expecting the knobs to be plastic like on the EQ3/EQ5 but they are in fact machined metal....nice!

Well that's it for now, it was only supposed to be a teaser after all.

[GazOC]

Cheers Russ, I look forward to you getting out under the stars. Looks promising though!

[KevG]

Looking good so far.... like the idea of slowmo control, something the EZTouch is lacking. Thanks for the review Russ, looking forward to following this one.

[JonH]

Good start Russ. Looking forward to your second impressions...

[Mark at Beaufort]

A great first review Russ. Thanks also for the detailed photos. Look forward to the review with the large newt attached.

Mark

[AndyH]

Awesome !

Nice that the knobs are alluminium. It's the little things that can be overlooked.

Regarding the resistance in the movement of the axis. I had a Tak Teegul(the tiny eq mount)and they were similar. I reckon it's because of the clutches on the gearing inside the heads.

Hope your skies are clear for the first light !

Cheers,

Andy.

[CGolder]

Cheers Russ, do let me know if the 10" SCT is viable, this would be a nice alternative if my forks ever fail up and i don't want an EQ mount.

[John]

Thanks for the initial impressions and pics Russ

It certainly looks the business. I'm glad the position of the C/W shaft can be varied - that and the slo mos' are great features !.

Those dovetails look very nice too - TS in Germany sell those at around £40 apiece I think !.

[bombassa]

Thanks for the initial impressions and pics Russ

It certainly looks the business. I'm glad the position of the C/W shaft can be varied - that and the slo mos' are great features !.

Those dovetails look very nice too - TS in Germany sell those at around £40 apiece I think !.

Speaking of TS..

I couldn't help but notice that this looks somewhat similar to the TS AZ5 mount.

Are they basically the same?

[DaveGibbons]

Russ, Did you try it with the CG5 /2" tripod? Just wondering if fits ok on that one.

cheers

Dave

[AndyH]

Speaking of TS..

I couldn't help but notice that this looks somewhat similar to the TS AZ5 mount.

Are they basically the same?

I'd say, yes.

Andy.

[Andrew*]

Thanks for the first report - looks very nice indeed!

Russ, Did you try it with the CG5 /2" tripod? Just wondering if fits ok on that one.

The HEQ5 tripod fitting is the same as the CG5/EQ5.

The EQ6 is quite different, though.

Andrew

[russ]

I changed tripods this morning and gave the CG5 2" steel tripod a try. Perfect fit. What i would say at this stage is the CG5 tripod offers no more stability than the HEQ5 1.75". The acid test will be with the 10" Meade.

Had a quick look at Saturn, cranked the magnification upto a yuk 250x but just to test the damp down. With both the 150 f5 and 90mm f11 the damp down was near instant.

Will post some more pics later today showing the Skytee with CG5 tripod and PST.

[russ]

Had a brief go with the Skytee last night in -2deg temps. That Synta grease (glue) is proving something of a problem in cold temps. The mount makes those horrible sticking syrup noises the EQ5 used to make. There's simply too much resistance on both axis with a lightweight scope on board. The problem is compounded by the slow motions not being easily accessible when using the long refractor or a newt (even a short one like the 6" f5). I have a strong feeling that a hefty OTA may over come the resistance problem using it's weight as an advantage. But with a 6kg ota, such as the 150mm newt, things are a little unpleasant.

Just wanted to quickly post this for those interested in buying one. Don't want anyone disappointed. Make no mistake, it's like the rock of Gibraltar, stability has not been a problem at all.

Also have a couple of small easily fixed defects. The knob for tightening one dovetail is slightly bent and rubs on the saddle. And there is just too much lag with the Azimuth slow motion mechanism, just needs some adjustment.

[shaunster]

Doesnt sound great so far Russ

[John]

With a long refractor I can see the position of the slow motion controls being an issue (ie: a long reach !). I used to like the long slow mo cables like Vixen used to use - would something like that be an option for the Skytee 2 ?.

The "Synta glue" issue has been around for decades - I'm surprised that it has not been sorted by now. It gets worse on cold nights as well !.

Thanks for keeping us updated

[russ]

John, I haven't checked the fitting of the slow-mo knobs but if they are the normal push fit type as seen on other Synta mounts, replacing two with long flexi types could be an answer for refractor use.

Shaun, i desperately need to try your 10" scope one day. I have a feeling the Skytee will come into its own with a large hefty ota.

One further note. I tried the PST on the handy horizontal saddle and it worked very well indeed. The slow-mo knobs were handily placed with such a small ota and the viewing experience was very good indeed (except for the lag in the Azimuth slow-mo).

Also, an update with the grease used. It's a conscious decision by Synta to use the high viscosity grease as it minimises the need for further maintenance or re-application of lubricant.

Please don't be put off the mount, it's only first impression and i've barely had anytime with it under the stars. The defective saddle clamp knob is already in the process of being replaced. And i'll try adjusting the Azimuth slow-mo tonight.

[FLO]

Yes, Synta (Skywatcher) use a sticky viscose grease because it stays put. Some people remove and replace the grease with posh lithium grease like that used on bicycle chains, but if you do that you then have to periodically apply more grease. Also, dismantling a mount might void the warranty so best check with your supplier first.

I remember reading NASA had to use a sticky grease for its Moon buggy, so it wouldn't fly off in low gravity...

Steve

[brianb]

NASA had to use a sticky grease for its Moon buggy, so it wouldn't fly off in low gravity...

More likey because of the extreme temperature range (roughly +250 to -250 F) and the fact that many oils will tend to boil off in a vaccuum. I very much doubt that gravity (or the several Gs accelleration the device had to endure during launch) had much to do with it.

The problem with the "grease" used in the Skywatcher mounts is that its dimension tends to compensate for machining tolerances ... putting the thing together properly doesn't compensate for sloppy manufacture ... and the stuff tends to aggregate in sticky lumps rather than actually lubricating the surfaces. Mounts rotate so slowly that lubrication is actually pretty irrelevant but proper lubrication can make a big difference at the "fast" end of the drive train.

[shaunster]

Shaun, i desperately need to try your 10" scope one day. I have a feeling the Skytee will come into its own with a large hefty ota.

We can wait til saturday if you like, if not im free most nights this week and next

[russ]

Hi Shaun,

See what Saturday brings. Hopefully clear and we can meet at Turf Hill. If not, and you don't mind, we could meet the following week one evening. That'd be great.

[andrew956]

Hi Russ

Keep the reviews coming as i am in the starting blocks to buy one of these. When i first saw it i thought 250mm ota would be as much as it would cope with as i used to own a EZ touch and that handled heavier ota`s with no probs. It would be nice to hear from you when you get the 250mm on it and see how it performs and maybe push the limit with a smaller ota on the other side we shall see.

Andy

[bombassa]

More likey because of the extreme temperature range (roughly +250 to -250 F) and the fact that many oils will tend to boil off in a vaccuum. I very much doubt that gravity (or the several Gs accelleration the device had to endure during launch) had much to do with it.

The problem with the "grease" used in the Skywatcher mounts is that its dimension tends to compensate for machining tolerances ... putting the thing together properly doesn't compensate for sloppy manufacture ... and the stuff tends to aggregate in sticky lumps rather than actually lubricating the surfaces. Mounts rotate so slowly that lubrication is actually pretty irrelevant but proper lubrication can make a big difference at the "fast" end of the drive train.

Aha! But unrealiable sources tell that nasa put the sticky grease on the tires of the buggy to keep it on the moon!

Thanks for the review. I really need a bigger mount.

[Asteroid]

Great review, that looks the business.

[russ]

Hi Russ

Keep the reviews coming as i am in the starting blocks to buy one of these. When i first saw it i thought 250mm ota would be as much as it would cope with as i used to own a EZ touch and that handled heavier ota`s with no probs. It would be nice to hear from you when you get the 250mm on it and see how it performs and maybe push the limit with a smaller ota on the other side we shall see.

Andy

I'll hopefully give you an update next week

Will be at Astrofest tomorrow and will be heading for the Optical Vision stand. Just want to compare some things with their display model.